Separation Of Worlds
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: This tells the tale of how the Kingdom Of Zeal came to be, following the story of the first King and Queen of the flying Kingdom.


**__**

Chapter 1: The Start Of Everything

It has been so long… yet it seems like only yesterday that I came to this planet, born only to protect it…   
I was a hybrid, but it didn't matter to anyone…   
Still, no one knew, and I had wanted to keep it that way...  
How I failed in that…

A young child walked through a large forest, taking in the sounds of the forest as he went. His feet made no sound as they touched the ground, making him move about without disturbing the forest's glory. Two emerald colored orbs took in the scenery, watching everything with a strange calm that seemed impossible for humans.   
Human was what the creatures on the planet called themselves, unlike the race they had lived with a few eons ago. The race had called them hairless apes, but they were more than that. Far more. The race, whose name was forgotten already, had been wiped out, and the humans survived. They survived where others died. No matter what the planet threw at them, they always managed to survive, one way or another.  
The forest was covered in snow, shrouding everything in a blanket of white. Behind him, footprints were the only sign of that he had been there, only to be brushed away again by the ever falling snow. The snow never ceased to fall, shrouding _everything_ in a thick, white blanket of ice and water, freezing people's bodies with icy hands trying to claw desperately at their bodies, but never succeeding.  
He breathed out through his mouth, making his lips form a constantly shrinking 'O', until he had no more breath to breathe out, and hid his mouth behind the poncho he wore casually around his shoulders. Blood red locks of spiked hair seemed frozen in time like a viscous flame of some sort, and a ribbon was around his forehead, with the ends waving about casually behind him in a frenzy. The snow crackled under his dark leather boots, as he calmly walked through the deep woods.  
Finally, he emerged, and pulled up his arm to shield his sensitive eyes from the piercing sun, still shining through endless clouds, and being reflected by the seemingly everlasting snow. His eyes narrowed as he tried to see anything at all, and when his eyes finally adjusted, he lowered his armored arm, and began his track back to the village.   
At the sound of a puppy yipping, he sharpened his ears and looked to his left, squinting against the snow and the cutting winds, trying to see who was there, but he could barely make out the visage. But after a few moments, he heard the yipping come closer, and a small puppy was suddenly running at him. Blinking he bent down to look at the little critter.  
He stared into the little dog's frightened little eyes, seeming to be begging for help, as if something had happened. The puppy kept running away, but came back when he wasn't following, and kept on yipping loudly. He frowned, and finally stood, following the puppy as it ran off, increasing the pace when the puppy did, surprisingly to high speeds only capable by himself.  
Storming back into the woods, he continued after the yipping, slamming low branches aside, and kicking stumps out of his path, heading deeper and deeper into the damp forest, with the snow barely coming through the thick blanket lying atop the trees. The crunching of snow and wood beneath his feet sounded through the woods as he continued to run on and on.   
It finally led him to a clearing in the very center, with a frozen lake in it. Only now there was a large gap in it, and the small footprints on the ice signaled that a child had apparently fallen in. He looked at the puppy, noting the terrified look on the frightened dog's face.  
He scratched the animal behind its ear, and took off the poncho he wore, placing it gently on the ground, revealing the armor he wore underneath, before diving into the water through the ice, not even bothered by the cold of the water.  
The density of the water finally came into view once the bubbles had floated to the surface, and he began to swim around, emerald eyes looking back and forth, searching for anything that could indicate a source of life. The darkness of the water made it practically impossible though.  
A sudden stream of bubbles signaled where he had to be, and he continued on, reaching out with one hand for anything that was attached to a human body. He finally grabbed a hold of something, and when he pulled, he noticed it was a person's hand. With a frown, he pulled the person close to him, and swam up as fast as he could.  
The hand that wasn't holding the human against him, glowed with a pure reddish hue, which he then slammed against the layer of ice blocking his exit to the surface. The ice shattered instantly, and he brought both him and the human on land, gasping for air. The puppy yipped in relief as he swam for shore, and he finally looked closer at the human he held.  
Short, dark blond hair framed a rather pale, young face of a little girl maybe no older than he was, maybe a few years his junior, but still not far away from his own age, with iced lips tinted a faint blue, and shivers running up and down her spine as she struggled for air and tried to get the water from her lungs. With a gentle motion, he rubbed her back, laying her on her side, making sure the water got out of her lungs completely, as she kept choking up more and more of the cold liquid. She shivered and shuddered, unable to remain still.  
A cold tongue licked at her face, and she shuddered at the touch, so he gently pushed the puppy away. He shook his head softly, and the pup pouted, but upon seeing her shiver, hung its ears and whined pitifully. He gave a sigh, picked up his poncho, and gently wrapped the girl in it, before picking her up in his arms and standing up.  
He began walking, with the little puppy on his heels and the girl still shivering violently.   
It was the start of everything…

__

Back then, I had no idea who she was, or could possibly be, and it makes me wonder…  
Had I known who she would grow up to be, would I have still saved her from the lake?  
I do not know… and I do not want to…  
The past is dead and buried… it was all just a bad dream…

He walked into the tent, closing the tapestry and walking to the center of the small room. After picking up some wood and tossing it into the roaring fire, he looked over to the girl lying on the straw that served as a bed, shivering under the thick blanket, which seemed not to help her anything at all.  
With a soft sigh, he pulled his poncho off, and laid it down in a corner, before walking over to her. With a gentle shake, she moaned, and squeezed her eyes shut, before they fluttered open slowly, exposing two glittering blue sapphires that served as eyes, staring up at him in confusion.   
Emeralds met sapphires, and for a moment, neither spoke, or even moved.  
"If you are cold, you should move over to the fire," he finally said softly and with a hoarse voice, not really used to talking.  
She blinked, slowly, and tried to sit up, only to nearly fall back, if he had not caught her in time. He pulled her up, and brought her to the fire, where the small puppy was resting peacefully, until he sat her down. The puppy yipped and jumped into the girl's arms, who tried to curve up almost unfrozen lips, but never getting the chance as he stopped her.  
"Don't. Let them defrost first, then talk or move them, or else they will bleed, alright?" he said, and she nodded softly.  
She held up her hands to the fire, and he noticed how the fingers could no longer stretch completely, being frozen in their curled position. With a frown, he gently took her right hand in his, making her look at him in amazement. He simply held it up and blew warm air at her hand, and gently rubbed it to warm it up. The girl watched, looking seriously confused.  
He looked at her, catching her confused glance, which glittered in her piercing sapphire orbs, reflecting nothing and only radiating the emotions surging through her. In the light of the fire, he also saw that her hair was not blond, but a shimmering golden hue. They could only stare at each other, barely moving. But he still rubbed her hand to warm it up, yet never losing the eyecontact they had, as if he did, she would no longer be there, and he would be alone again. But that confused him, as he had never bothered that he was alone, and now, with this girl, he felt as though he never wanted to be alone again.  
The moment seemed to last for eternity, but it was completely shattered when he released her hand and pulled her other into his own, repeating the process from before. This time though, he didn't look at her, and simply kept his eyes focussed on her hands, which were regaining a slightly ruddy color. Finally, he released her hand, and put his hands on his knees as he sat there, facing the fire and not moving an inch, with the flames being reflected in his eyes.  
The small puppy had watched the entire time, and was now confused as to why both children were so deathly silent, not like they had been talking very much before, safe for the few words he had uttered. It was so confusing, and even more so when the girl brought her hands up to the fire to warm them further, though now, she barely seemed to care that she did.   
Even though the fire heated up the tent mostly, it was still nippy, and she shivered almost unnoticeably, rubbing her warm hands up and down her arms. He watched it for a moment, but he soon turned back to the fire, not paying it any attention.   
"Ow!" he cried out softly as the puppy suddenly bit his thumb, and started yipping angrily at him.  
She turned to the little dog in confusion, before frowning and picking it up before it could do any more damage to him, as he was rubbing his thumb between his fingers.  
"Feisty little pup," he commented calmly, not expecting to be answered by her.  
Yet she did.  
"Delta is just looking out for my welfare," she said, voice rich, calm and utterly serene, making his breath hitch ever so slightly. "Even for such a small critter, Delta knows me better than anyone."  
Absentmindedly, she scratched the puppy, now identified as Delta, behind his ears, making him yip at the attention. He watched her do this, then looked at her face, and took note of her sharp features, as well as the calm and composed air circling around her. It was almost enough to indicate that she was not an average little girl. Her eyes sparkled with a strange sort of emotion, but in actuality, it was nothing more than the fire being partially reflected in her eyes.   
She truly was beautiful…

__

I had never before lain eyes on anything as beautiful as her…  
She staid with me, saying she would leave once she was ready to leave…  
But she never did… having grown used to being around me, I guess…  
No matter what the reason, she never left me alone…  
And to each other… we were nameless…

He walked into the chief's hut, the poncho slung casually around his shoulders, but he removed it and placed it in a corner before venturing further into the hut. His armor shimmered in the light of the fire as he sat down, face set in an expressionless mask. The chief looked up at him with eyes containing ancient wisdom, wisdom that had always fascinated him, and it made him look up to the old man before him. Whereas he had enough power to fight his way through just about anything, he lacked the wisdom most people had whenever they grew up. Because to his mind, he was already grown up, unable to advance any further.   
"Gearon…" the ancient man said softly to acknowledge his presence.  
He nodded gently, signaling he had heard him, and asked without words why he was there.   
"Gearon, for the past few months, the monsters have lessened considerably around the village, I'm sure you noticed it yourself."  
A nod was the only response.  
"I do not know how or why the monsters stopped to attack us, but apparently, they sense a presence around us that we possibly cannot feel. Something must have entered our village without our notice, and it makes the monsters frightened, but we do not know what it could possibly be. I want you to find it, as you are the best for this kind of responsibility. Will you?"  
A thoughtful expression, and silence filled the hut, as he thought things over. He had never had to search for something within the village itself, but was it really worth his time? Then again, if it scared off the monsters, it must be either really strong, or really frightening, and in either case, he was willing to fight.  
So, his head tilted down in a clear nod, and he waited calmly to be dismissed. Once he was, he stood, pulled on his poncho, and began to walk to his own hut. The snow continued to fall, and he gingerly reached up to ruffle his hair to get rid of the snow in his deep red mane. Upon reaching his hut, he looked around once more, to make sure he was not followed, before vanishing into his hut.  
He noticed her immediately, sitting in front of the fire, gently stirring in a large metal pot with a spoon. She looked up at him once he entered, and she watched him take off his poncho, before he joined her quietly. She offered no conversation as she simply nodded at him when he sat on his knees beside her. This was how they usually were around each other, because they had little to share with each other. Because they knew, that the less you know about a person, the longer a friendship will last.   
She scooped some of the contents of the pot in a bowl, and handed it to him carefully. He gingerly took it from her, along with a spoon, and he began to calmly eat up the soup-like substance, without a word of complaint or satisfaction. She too began to eat, after having filled a smaller bowl for Delta, who began lapping it up greedily, while she ate with a polite tenderness. They did not look at each other, nor did they speak, as they continued consuming their food.  
Feeling oddly calm around this strange golden-haired vixen, he took a few moments to study her for some time. She always had her eyes closed while eating, and never once did her spoon hit her cheek or her chin. Even though there was little to chew on, he could see her jaw grinding the food in her mouth until it could easily slide down her throat.   
Once again, he turned to the fire, and stared at the flames as he continued eating at a slightly slowed pace. This was now their daily pattern, and neither complained as it had been silently decided upon. Without a word, they did their 'chores' for the day, not breaking the delicate pattern they had set up. He would hunt, and bring home what he had caught, and she would work and work without questioning what it was to cook it into a meal. He would leave to scout the outskirts of the village for monsters, and she calmly awaited his return, never once complaining about him never being there, because she had no real connection with him, and surprisingly, that's what kept them at good terms with each other. The fact that they didn't know each other only seemed to heighten their friendship.  
Not once had he asked for her name, so she never asked for his, as if she understood he would not say it even if she asked. He finally finished, and set down the bowl, silently waiting for her to finish as well. For a reason neither knew, he always waited for her to finish her food as well, as if dishonoring her if he didn't. As he waited for her to finish, he stared down into the fire, and watched as it crackled beneath the pot still hanging over orange flames licking at it.   
The fire had always fascinated him greatly, as it made him stare into the very core of the flame without blinking until his eyes were dehydrated by the heat. It was one of the things he could never understand, as the fire burned, beckoning him to stare, but not touch. Whenever he stared into the flames, they were reflected in his deep emerald green eyes, as so many had told him time and time again when he was caught staring at the burning fire.   
A gentle touch on his hand shook him from his trance, and he jerked his hand away as if burnt, as he turned to face whoever had touched him. He was staring straight into her deep sapphire blue eyes, questioning him without words what was on his mind. He watched her for a moment, narrowing his eyes a little, but then he placed his hand over the one that had touched him a few seconds ago. He gave a gentle shake of his head, showing her that he was fine.   
An odd expression formed on her face, as the corners of her mouth curved up. He had seen it so many times before on so many people, but he had never found a name for the odd expression. On her face though, it just seemed to light up her entire visage, and her eyes seemingly sparked with glittering stars.   
He gently reached up with his free hand, and softly caressed her cheeks, as if begging her not to make the expression disappear. She barely responded, safe for her lips parting slightly to expose her polished white teeth, and her lips curving upward a little further. Gently, he moved his thumb across her lips, following the shape and position of her lips with utmost care. His hand slowly and gently caressed the side of her face, before moving his fingers through her golden tresses. The softness surprised him slightly, but it barely showed in his eyes, but the slight hitch in his touch gave it all away. As he continued smoothing out her face and the golden tresses, he couldn't help but wonder how those lips felt against his own. At first he resisted the urge, but he could not hold it for too long.  
She let him, and did not protest at all as his head lowered down to hers, covering her lips with his own. With utmost care, he caressed her lips, his eyes slowly sliding shut, as did hers. His lips danced gingerly with hers, a little hesitant and uncertain at first, before he managed to become more certain of himself, and fully claimed her lips, continuing to dance with hers.

__

It was the first time I kissed her… but back then, I did not fully know what it meant…  
I cannot remember how long it lasted, but it never went any further…  
We did not speak after that… like we barely did…  
Strange though… we managed to understand each other without the use of words…  
Still… it did not take me long to figure out that she was… well… different…

He calmly walked into his hut, making sure not to make a sound. The sun had set a long time ago, but he had searched for whatever had caused the monsters to leave them alone. He had searched everywhere, and made sure not to skip anything, yet he had been unable to find whatever had scared off all the monsters away from them. It made him slightly frustrated, yet he made sure to wipe it all off his face in case she was still awake.  
She was not, but as he entered, he stopped dead in his tracks, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. She was sleeping, facing the entrance to the hut, most likely having waited for him to return. Her breathing was even and slow, signaling that she was totally out of it, but that was not what he was staring at so intently.   
Barely visible, circling her entire body like a thin layer of mist, was a strange, ocean-bluish veil, moving slowly across her skin, through her long mane, and onto the floor, where it vanished without a trace. Slowly, he managed to walk over to her, without alerting her, or Delta for that matter. The small critter was growing, and fast, as was very much clear.   
As he bent down beside her, he studied her face, and noted that she was obvious to the veil surrounding her body. Carefully, he reached out to lightly caress her face, and the veil gently rippled by the touch, but he felt nothing. He pulled back his hand, and stared at the appendage, but saw nothing that indicated the presence of that blue mist. Once again, he moved his hand across her body, but yet again, he felt nothing as his fingers lightly grazed over her skin.  
As expected, her eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him in slight confusion. They simply stared, but this time, the silence was unbearable, and he just _had_ to speak.  
"Who are you?"  
She gasped almost inaudibly when he spoke to her, eyes wide as his voice finally shattered the silent spell cast over them for so long. But nevertheless, when she noticed the hue shrouding her body, she seemed to understand why, and answered without a hitch.  
"Amilm Nilaye Zeal…"  
Three words, that's all she said, but it was enough for him. It all started to slot into place now.   
She was a Zealean, a recently developed evolved form of humans, with slightly pointed ears, and gifts of great potential handed to them, allowing them control over fire, thunder, ice, or the water. The race had achieved the name 'Zealeans' because the leaders of them all, was always one of the lineage of Zeal, which could only mean that she was of royal blood, as the Zealeans called the offspring of their leaders. And it would also explain why the monsters left the village alone. They could sense the Zealeans' special gifts, and feared them more than they feared death, and would do anything to avoid them.   
But it did not explain the mysterious veil that still covered her body, and he gingerly helped her sit up, as it was clear she was not going to speak if he did not. But he could see she was anxious to get one question of her chest, but it was apparent that she had not the courage to do so.  
"My name… is Gearon Vodler…"  
When he spoke, she looked up at him in confusion, but then she nodded her understanding.   
For a long while, he stared solemnly into her eyes, as if seeing into her very soul. Dancing across the iris of her eyes, were deep flames of sapphire, true flames you could gaze in for hours and hours, but never reach out and touch them. Almost hesitantly, he reached over to her face, making sure her eyes never left his, allowing him to stare down those depths for the longest time, before he spoke yet again, this time asking what he already expected.  
"Do you possess the gift all your people have?"  
Her eyes glittered strangely, and he was confused. He had never seen eyes glitter like that, and the irises and pupils shudder, like something was shaking them roughly, not allowing them any rest. But then he saw the moisture gathering at the corners, and it was almost like they would rather just trickle down her porcelain cheeks to follow the path to her lips, or past them and down to her chin. And that was just what happened.  
The moisture trickled down her face as her lids fluttered closed, then opened again, with small droplets streaming down to form a river. His eyes held surprise and confusion, as he reached over with his thumb to wipe away the water trickling down her face.   
"What is wrong?" he asked softly, knowing it must have been something he had said that had made her so upset, which he could read clearly in her eyes.  
"I… I was banned from my family because I do not have that gift…" she finally whispered and his entire being froze at that sentence. "My parents disowned me and sent me away… not wishing for me to return."  
He allowed his eyes to soften, and he removed the remaining moisture from her eyes, whispering softly to her: "Then that is the reason why you do not wish to leave. You have nowhere else to go, do you?"  
"…No… no I do not…"  
He watched her for a little while longer, before he gingerly pulled her against him, offering her the support that she so desperately needed now, and she accepted it gratefully, slipping her arms across his neck as his had slid around her waist, just under her hair, while she nuzzled her face in his shoulder, and he felt more and more of the moisture slip from her eyes and onto his clothes, sinking into them and landing on his heated skin. For once, he could not care what would happen later on, which he had always worried about before. Now, he just wanted to make sure this little vixen in his arms could see happiness that she must not have gotten from her family, and he never realized that as he held her, the veil that had covered her before he had entered, once again rose, and engulfed both him and her, circling around them in a gentle rhythm, as if trying to tell them something, but as neither could feel the misty veil, neither could understand or answer, as they just sat there and held on without words, trying to recover the spell they had broken, but finding it impossible for some unknown reason.

__

I wasn't used to talking… but it didn't matter to her…  
To her, it seemed to be more important that I simply listened to her…  
And I did… listening to everything she told me…  
But as the days passed… it became clear… that she did have a gift…  
Only…… different…

"Gearon…"  
The soft calling of his own name made him stir, but he did not wake, too exhausted to wake from the previous day's events, but the voice was insistent, and would not let up.  
"Gearon!"  
His body shook by the force of two hands being pushed against his arm, and he groaned slightly, before rolling over to avoid the attack, refusing to let go of the last bits of sleep he could catch.  
"Gearon!! Wake up!!"  
The shout in his ear made him yelp and he was instantly sitting upright, panting for breath after being startled into awareness. His head turned to face the golden haired vixen he was used to seeing by now, but the first thing he realized when laying eyes on her, was that her skin had paled, and sweat was trickling over her face.  
"Nil?? What is wrong with you?" he asked, sitting on his knees in front of her, putting one hand to her face gently.  
He was used to calling her that, and she did not mind. To her, it seemed to mean that to him, she at least meant something, which she had most likely not felt when with her family. Still, that would be saved for later, because right now, she looked absolutely terrified; terrified of something he either hadn't heard, or something she had dreamt.  
It turned out to be neither.  
"The Black Wind…"  
He blinked, unable to understand what she was talking about.  
"The what??"  
"The Black Wind…… whenever… whenever it blows… someone… someone………"  
He made a soft hushing sound he always used to calm her, and calmly held her close to him, moving his hand in small circles over her back as she clung to him for dear life.  
But then… she finished her sentence.  
"…Dies…"

****

Right, this is the prequel to "Facing The Pain Of Hell" and contains a few aspects of Dragonball Z, though not much knowledge of it is required to understand this story. 

A few things that might be of use: **__**

Year: 15,000 BC

__

Zealean status: Small clan

__

Number of Zealeans: 40 (20 males; 14 females; 6 children)


End file.
